


wherever you both are is the place i belong

by lizleminem



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Multi, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-12 09:25:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4474001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizleminem/pseuds/lizleminem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Derek needs a date to his ex girlfriend's wedding Kira volunteers to be his fake date. But there's a slight catch, she has real feelings for him, and so does her boyfriend, Scott.</p>
            </blockquote>





	wherever you both are is the place i belong

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rileywrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rileywrites/gifts).



> This was written for [rileyrises](http://rileyrises.tumblr.com/) as part of the [polyamorous wolf exchange](http://polyamorouswolfexchange.tumblr.com/). I hope you like it. I didn't follow any of your prompts exactly, but this was definitely heavily inspired by one of them and I tried to cram in as much stuff you said you like as I could. 
> 
> also, this was beta'd, as usual, by [sarah](http://archiveofourown.org/users/redweathertiger). who is incredible and i owe her so much, honestly. 
> 
> title is from ready to run by one direction. (but modified slightly to fit a polyamorous relationship better). 
> 
> background pairings are: Braeden/Marin, briefly mentioned past Allison/Scott, and past Braeden/Derek. Also, it starts with Kira and Scott in an established relationship.

Kira and Scott are on their way up to Derek’s apartment when Kira notices Derek has mail. “Hold on a sec,” she says to Scott, grabbing it out of his mailbox before rushing to catch back up with him. 

“This way he doesn’t have to come back down,” she says. 

Scott nods, and says, “Good thinking,” and they head up the stairs. Derek just lives on the second floor so they never bother with the elevator. 

They’re at Derek’s door before long, and when they knock they can hear him shout, “Come on in,” from inside. The door is locked but they both have a spare key. Kira digs hers out of her pocket and then they head inside and through to the living room. 

“Here we brought you your mail,” Kira says, passing it to him before collapsing down next to him on the couch. 

She sits closer to him than is probably strictly necessary, but well, she’s cold and Derek’s always super warm. And maybe she also has a tiny crush on him, but whatever, it doesn’t matter. 

“Thanks,” Derek says, taking the mail from her and starting to open it. Scott settles in on her other side while they watch Derek sort through it. His head resting on Kira’s shoulder, until Derek says, “Oh shit.” 

“What?” Scott asks, hooking his chin over Kira’s shoulder so he can look over at Derek. 

“I got invited to my ex girlfriend’s wedding this weekend,” he says. 

“Oh wow,” Kira says. 

“Oh, that sucks,” Scott says. “But, I mean, you don’t have to actually go or anything do you?” 

“That’s the thing,” Derek says. “She’s a family friend. So, I do. And I’m going to be expected to stay at her family’s cabin for a couple of days leading up to the wedding. With her, her family, and my family.” 

“Oh,” Kira and Scott both say, making thoughtful noises. 

“Shit, what am I going to do? I don’t mind going. I just don’t want to go alone. I don’t want to look incapable of getting a date to a wedding, especially not my ex girlfriend’s wedding.” 

There’s silence for a moment, but then Kira gets an idea. “Hey,” she says. “I can totally pretend to be your girlfriend! This gives me a chance to meet your family finally, and I know you really well so we can totally pull it off.” 

“Really?” Derek asks. 

“Yeah, you wouldn’t mind, right?” She directs that last part at Scott and he shakes his head. 

“Of course not. You don’t need my permission to do Derek a favor. It’s like acting, right? No big deal.” 

Kira feels a little guilty at that, since she does have actual feelings for Derek, but she’d never cheat on Scott. This isn’t about that. It’s just about helping out her best friend. 

“Are you sure?” Derek asks. 

“Totally,” Kira replies, nodding her head. 

“Okay, well, then, thank you.” 

Kira nods, and Scott says, “Hey, can I tag along though? I’d be lonely without my two favorite people and I want to meet your family too.” 

“Yeah, I’ll have to check with Braeden, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. She’s probably planning on it being a pretty low key thing, but I’m sure she won’t mind one extra person.” 

“Awesome,” Scott says. “So, what are we doing tonight?” 

“I ordered a pizza, and I thought we could watch TV. I know things have been really busy for you this week at the office. A lot of sick animals and pissed off owners. So I thought you’d probably want a relaxing night and Kira thought it was a good idea.” 

“Oh, so you guys have been talking about me?” Scott asks. “Only good things I hope.” 

“Obviously,” Kira says. 

Derek turns on his TV and his bluray player, bringing Netflix up and Kira watches as he starts to flick through his list. “The X-Files!” she says excitedly as he passes it by, and Derek grins slightly before glancing over at Scott. 

“Cool with you too?” he asks. 

Kira turns toward Scott as well, and sees him nod his head, and Derek says, “Okay, great then.” And turns on a random episode. 

They settle in, Kira pressed up against Derek’s side, and Scott pressed against hers, his head coming down to rest against her shoulder again. They’re only taking up about half the couch and if anyone else was here they’d probably think they were ridiculous, but they all always gravitate close to each other like this. It just feels right for them. 

They make it through half an episode before the doorbell rings. As Derek gets up to answer the door, Scott says, “I have a headache. Do you mind if I grab some Tylenol?”

“That’s fine,” Derek says, waving his arm toward the bathroom. “You know where it is.”  
   
~

Scott had been trying to ignore the persistent hurt behind his eyes since they got up to Derek’s apartment, but it’s gotten too bad to ignore. He leans close to Kira, telling her he’ll be right back. Then he pushes himself up off the couch and heads for the bathroom. He slides the medicine cabinet open when he gets inside and rummages around, looking for the small bottle of pills. Before he can find them though, his hand collides with a familiar shape. He furrows his brow and pulls it out, confirming his suspicions that Derek does indeed have an asthma inhaler tucked away in his medicine cabinet. Scott grins slightly and puts it back, digging around again until he finds the Tylenol. 

He pops two of the pills in his mouth and swallows them. Then he turns the water on, cupping his hands beneath the stream and drinking some water out of his hands. When he gets the water shut back off he closes the medicine cabinet and then heads back into the living room. 

Once he’s situated back on the couch he says, “So, Derek, I couldn’t help but notice you have an asthma inhaler tucked away in there. Is that because of me?” 

“Oh,” Derek says, sounding almost shy. “Yeah. I know you take yours everywhere and that over the counter ones don’t work as well as prescription ones anyway, but I just feel better having one. Just in case.” 

Scott can’t help the huge grin that spreads over his face. “You’re the best.” 

“Shut up and eat some pizza,” Derek says, flushing slightly. “It’s not a big deal.” 

Scott does as he says, but he keeps the huge grin on his face and can’t stop thinking about it for the rest of the night.

***

Kira and Scott don’t get back home till late at night so by the time Kira wakes up the next morning, Scott has already left for work. 

Scott owns his own vet office so he makes enough money that Kira doesn’t have to work. They’re not married, but they’ve been together since they were seventeen, almost eight years now, so sharing an income doesn’t feel weird. She does work sometimes though, as a private tutor, but at the moment she has a few weeks off.  
 She’s never quite sure how to spend her time when she doesn’t have anything she has to do. So while she tries to come up with something to do she lays in bed for awhile. Just letting herself relax and think about things that have been weighing on her mind. 

And as of last night the thing that’s been heaviest on her mind is the fact that she feels kind of bad about fake dating Derek without Scott being aware she actually does have a crush on him. She’s not sure she should tell him though. It’s not like she wants to break up with Scott or anything. She loves him too. 

She sighs deeply, and decides maybe she needs to talk to someone else about it first. Allison is probably her best choice. She listens well, and isn’t afraid to tell people what they really need to hear. It’s still a little early though so she decides she should probably do some other things before she calls her. 

Deciding that running errands will be a good way to pass the time she reluctantly drags herself out of the warm bed and toward the shower. 

***

When Kira finally gets back home in the late afternoon, she decides she should go ahead and call Allison before it gets any later. So she heads back to her and Scott’s bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed as she punches in Allison’s number. 

Allison answers after just a few rings. “Hey,” she says. “How are you?” 

“I’m okay,” Kira says. “How about you?” 

“I’m good,” she says. There’s a slight pause and then, “So,” Allison says. “What did you want to talk about?” Kira knows that Allison’s aware that Kira would much rather text than talk on the phone whenever possible so she must know something has to be up for Kira to actually call her.

“I have a problem,” Kira says, getting up and starting to pace around the room.

“What’s up?” 

“So, last night Derek got invited to his ex girlfriend’s wedding, and he didn’t want to go alone so I told him I’d go with him as his date and we could pretend to be a couple.” 

“Okay,” Allison says. “Well, are you not wanting to do it anymore or something? I’m sure Derek would understand.” 

“No, that’s not it. I…well, I have feelings for Derek. Like I like him in a romantic way. I mean, I love Scott, but I think maybe, I love Derek too.” 

“Oh!” Allison says. “Are you polyamorous?” 

“Um,” Kira says, her nose scrunching up in confusion. “What is that?” 

“It means you’re open to having more than one relationship at a time, but not like, cheating. It involves everyone in the relationships being aware of it and being okay with it.” 

“Oh,” Kira says. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’d never thought about it before really, but I’d definitely be into having a relationship with Derek. I’d actually like it to be one with Scott involved with Derek too though, like all of us dating all of us. Is that a thing?” 

“Yeah, absolutely,” Allison says. 

“I don’t know,” Kira says. “I need to think about all of this. But at the very least I’ve definitely been thinking I need to talk to Scott about liking Derek before the whole fake dating thing starts. Otherwise it’s just going to feel dishonest. I’m worried though. What if he hates me for it?” 

“He won’t,” Allison says. “He loves you. This isn’t going to change that. And if you want my one hundred percent honest opinion I think there’s actually a pretty good chance he likes Derek too.” 

“What makes you say that?” Kira asks. 

“Just the way he acts around him. I did date Scott for a while, remember, so I’m intimately aware of how he acts around people he likes, and I see that with him and Derek. And I know that obviously you know how Scott acts around people he likes as well because you are currently dating him. But I think maybe you’ve just missed it because you like Derek too so you’ve been a little distracted, or maybe subconsciously didn’t want to get your hopes up that you could all be in a relationship.” 

“Maybe,” Kira says. “I guess I need to talk to Scott.” 

“I think that’s a good idea. Let me know how it goes okay? I’ll bring over ice cream and rom coms in a heartbeat if they’re needed, but I think everything will go just fine.”

After she hangs up, Kira lets herself fall back on her and Scott’s bed as she worries about how to tell Scott. She’s only been laying there for a few minutes though when her phone rings. She looks at the caller ID and sees that it’s Derek and answers with a smile. She’s always happy to talk to him even when she’s not really sure what her feelings are doing. 

“Hey,” she says. 

“Hey,” he answers. “I just talked to Braeden and she’s completely fine with you and Scott coming as well. She says she’s excited to meet my girlfriend and my best friend.” 

“That’s great,” Kira says. “Scott and I are really looking forward to it.” 

“Good,” Derek says. “Do you want to go to the park in a couple of hours? I thought we could go over the logistics.” 

“Sure,” Kira says. 

“Great. Is Scott home?” he asks. 

“No, he’s at work. I can fill him in later though.” 

“Alright, I’ll be by your guys’ apartment in a couple of hours then.” 

“Sounds great.” 

She waits for him to say bye, and then hangs up the phone. She allows herself a couple of minutes to lay in the bed and worry about what will happen when she talks to Scott later that night, but then she forces herself to get up and start getting ready for Derek to pick her up so can distract herself before she can get overly worked up about it. 

***

When Derek comes by the apartment, it’s late in the afternoon. He knocks and waits patiently for Kira to answer it. He can hear her moving around inside and it's only a few moments before Kira is pulling the door open. 

“You ready to go?” he asks. 

“Yep,” she says, coming out into the hallway and shutting the door behind her. Scott and Kira live really close to the park so they set off on foot after that. 

“Okay,” Derek says, as they walk. “The wedding is happening in upstate New York. Braeden and her family have a huge cabin there. We’ll need to leave tomorrow and then we can come back on Monday afternoon. Does that work for you two?” 

“Sounds perfect,” Kira says. “Scott and I can pick you up tomorrow morning and then the three of us can drive up together. How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” Derek says. “And seriously thank you so much, again, for doing this for me. You probably think I’m such a loser for being so worried about what my ex girlfriend thinks.” 

“Of course we don’t,” Kira says. “I wouldn’t want to go to any of my ex boy or girlfriend’s weddings alone either.”

Derek grins at her as they turn into the park. They walk in silence for a couple of minutes, the silence comfortable between them, and then Kira says, “Okay, We should probably come up with a fake dating history in case anyone asks us any questions.” 

“Good plan,” Derek says. He hadn’t really thought of that possibility. 

“Let’s sit,” Kira says, nodding her head to a giant rock. Derek nods and they climb up on it. Once they’re settled Kira says. “Okay, so, we can just use the real story of how we met, but we need to come up with stuff like how long we’ve been dating, who asked who out, what our first date was like, and what our first kiss was like.” 

“I’m thinking we should say we’ve been dating for about two months. Any longer than that and my family will be bugging me about why I didn’t tell them sooner.” 

“Sounds good to me,” Kira says. “And how about I asked you out.” 

“I’m fine with that. We can say that you asked me to go to dinner with you, and that that was such a normal thing for us to do as friends that I wouldn’t even have realized it was supposed to be a date if you hadn’t been so nervous while asking. But that I thought you were totally adorable.” 

Kira nods, and Derek can tell she’s blushing a little. He grins at her and she shivers slightly. “Are you cold?” he asks. 

“A little,” she admits, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. 

“Here,” he says, shrugging out of his jacket and handing it over. 

“Are you sure?” Kira asks. 

“Yeah, I feel fine.” 

She nods and takes the jacket from him. “Thank you,” she says, as she pulls it on. It’s huge on her, but she pulls it off really well anyway. She looks incredible. 

So incredible that Derek forgets what they’re supposed to be doing until Kira clears her throat and says, “So, what was our first kiss like?” 

“Oh,” he says, dragging his eyes back to her face. “It was after our first date. I walked you to your door, and you looked so beautiful I just couldn’t resist,” he says. “We were talking, and a piece of hair fell in front of your eyes. So I brushed it out of your face,” he reaches his hand out, demonstrating by brushing away the hair that is currently falling into her eyes. Her cheeks are flushed and her skin burns beneath his fingers. “And you were watching me with your head tilted in. So I moved in, slowly, giving you plenty of time to pull away if you wanted to. But you didn’t, so I kissed you.” 

Derek drops his hand, and Kira grins over at him her eyes shining in the moonlight. “Was I a good kisser?” she asks. 

“The very best,” Derek says. 

The air feels charged with something, and Derek knows it’s just him being stupid and reading too much into something that’s not there because he wants it so bad. But he can’t help the smile that spreads across his face and stays there till he drops Kira off at her and Scott’s apartment later that night.    
***

Scott hears the door open and shut and he calls out, “Kira, is that you?” 

“Yep,” she calls back. “I’ll be there in a second.” 

When Kira makes it into the living room where Scott’s sitting on the couch watching TV, she’s wearing a leather jacket that looks familiar, but that he’s pretty sure isn’t actually hers. “Is that Derek’s jacket?” he asks. 

“Oh, yeah,” she says. She waves her hand to signify it’s not a big deal and Scott gets distracted by the fact the sleeves are too long on her. It’s ridiculously adorable. “I got cold, and he offered. I guess I kind of forgot to give it back to him when he dropped me off just now.” 

Scott smiles tightly and nods his head. His stomach is swirling from all the different emotions that are coursing through him, and he’s feeling pretty confused. He’s envious, but he’s realizing it’s not that Kira spent all day with Derek. They do that a lot. They’re best friends, and Scott’s not afraid Kira’s going to leave him for Derek or anything, and even if she did Scott would be heartbroken but he wouldn’t begrudge her. He wants Kira to be happy even if it’s not with him. But he’s envious of how easy and comfortable her and Derek’s relationship is, and not because it’s another guy having a relationship like that with his girlfriend, but because he wants a relationship like that with Derek too. He loves Kira, but it’s becoming pretty hard to ignore that he’s also in love with Derek. 

Kira’s smiling and she practically bounces across the room to come sit in his lap. Once she’s situated she says, “You’re not jealous, are you?” 

“No,” he lies. “I’m just admiring how hot you look in that jacket.”

Kira smiles, and Scott turns off the TV before he pulls her closer. She smells incredible. He can smell her shampoo but it’s mixing with the clean smell of the cologne Derek uses, and it’s making Scott’s head swim a little. He buries his nose against her neck and she shivers and kisses his temple. “I love you,” she says. 

“Mm,” Scott hums. “I love you too.” 

"But," Kira says. "I have something to talk to you about." 

"Uh oh," Scott says, frowning at her. 

"No," she says. "It's nothing bad. At least I don't think it is." 

Scott's not sure what that means so he just tilts his head and waits and then she takes a deep breath and presses on, "Okay, So, I won't feel right doing this whole fake dating thing without being honest with you about something first. I have feelings for Derek. I still love you though! I mean, obviously, I literally just told you that so I probably didn't need to repeat it. But yeah, I have feelings for Derek and for you. When I talked to Allison about it she introduced me to the word polyamorous and I guess that’s what I am. We can talk about what that means if you’re confused, but just know I have actual feelings for Derek. So the fake dating won't be so fake for me. And, if that makes you uncomfortable I can totally tell him I can't do it.” 

She pauses there for a moment, feeling panicky and then just in case she rushes out “Or if you want to break up with me I totally understand.” She really hopes he won’t take her up on that, but she felt she should add it. Just in case. 

Scott feels relief wash through him and a giant smile breaks out across his face, "Kira," he says. "I definitely don't want to break up with you, and I actually have feelings for both you and Derek as well so this really works out. Well, if Derek likes us back that is, otherwise we’ll just be mutually pining over our best friend. We'll have to figure out how to approach him about that, maybe. I don't know. It could ruin our friendship. I guess we'll need to talk about it more. But the bottom line is it's okay. And I don't mind the whole fake dating thing. I'm a little envious but only because I wish I could fake date him too." 

Kira smiles back at him, "And you're not just saying all this to make me feel better?" 

"Definitely not," Scott says. 

“Okay, good, I’ve been so nervous about this all day. Allison told me she thought it would all work out, but I wasn’t convinced.” 

Scott pulls her even closer and says, “Hey, I love you, okay? With all my heart and soul. Nothing is ever going to change that.” 

“I love you too,” she says. “Just as much.” She’s incredibly relieved by how well their conversation ended up going. As much as she was wishing Allison was right, she was afraid to hope she actually was. She feels so lucky to be dating Scott and so lucky that Scott feels the same way about Derek that she does. 

She yawns then and Scott says, “It’s getting pretty late. You ready for bed?” 

“Yeah, we have to pick up Derek kind of early tomorrow.” 

Scott nods, and they get up, walking towards the bedroom together.

***

Their car ride the next day is nice, but a little tense. Derek’s excited to see his family and actually really excited to see Braeden as well, but nervous about the whole fake dating thing. Kira and Scott actually seem really nervous as well, and Derek assumes their nervous about meeting everyone even though they don’t need to be. Derek knows everyone is going to love them. 

It takes until late afternoon for them to arrive, and as soon as they’re through the door a crowd of people descend on them. Every one starts hugging them immediately and once they’re finally all done, Derek pulls away and says, “Hey, you didn’t even give me a chance to introduce them.” 

The crowd laughs and Derek says, “Okay, this is Kira and Scott. And Kira and Scott this is everyone. Braeden; her fiancée Marin; Braeden’s mom, Tamara, Braeden’s dad, Thomas; Marin’s brother, Alan; Marin’s mom, Katrina; my mom, Talia; and my sisters Laura and Cora.” 

He points to them each in turn as he introduces them and Kira and Scott nod. “That’s a lot of names,” Kira says when he’s done. 

“Yeah, don’t worry if you forget a few,” Laura says. “We’re a lot to take in.” 

“Do you guys want me to show you to your rooms?” Braeden asks. “I figure you might want showers or to take a nap or something after your long ride here.” 

“Yes. Please,” Derek says, and Braeden nods. 

“Follow me,” she says, nodding towards the hallway before walking that way. 

Derek, Kira and Scott fall into step behind her, and she leads them to the end of a hallway. “Okay,” she says, opening a door. “Derek and Kira, this room is for you,” she says. Derek and Kira nod and step inside, and the first thing he notices is there’s only one bed, of course. He’s not sure why he hadn’t realized it would be like this before. 

They let down their suitcases onto the floor as Derek can hear Braeden across the hall saying, “And this is your room, Scott.” 

At least he’s nearby, Derek thinks. They’ll just have to figure out a way for Scott to sneak into their room so him and Kira can sleep together since Derek is sure they’ll want to. 

“So,” Derek says. “What do you want to do?” 

“I really am exhausted,” Kira says. “I think I’m going to take a nap. Wanna join me?” 

“Sure,” Derek says. He moves to close the door but before he can, Braeden peaks her head in. 

“We’re having a barbecue and bonfire later tonight. At around six. So set an alarm or something, okay? And we’ll see you then.” 

“Yeah,” Derek says. “Sounds fun.” 

Braeden smiles at him before nodding and heading back down the hallway and Derek pushes the door shut before turning back toward Kira. “So,” he says. “I guess I’ll sleep on the floor.” 

“Oh no!” she says. “You don’t have to do that.” 

“It’s totally fine. I don’t mind,” Derek says, digging around in the closet till he finds a spare blanket. He grabs a pillow off the bed, and makes a pallet on the floor. 

“Are you sure?” Kira asks. 

He looks up at her, and sees her sucking her bottom lip between her teeth nervously. “I’m sure,” he says. “Don’t worry about me. Get some sleep. I’ll set an alarm for us.” 

*** 

At 5:50 Scott is abruptly woken by Kira bouncing down on his bed beside him and saying, “Wake up, wake up, sleepyhead. I don’t know if Braeden told you but there’s gonna be a bonfire in like ten minutes. Derek and I are ready and you should get ready to.” 

Scott opens his eyes groggily and confirms that not only are they alone, but that the door is shut before stealing a quick kiss. “I’m up. I’m getting ready. I’ll see you out there,” he says with a grin. “You and Derek go start selling the tale of your epic love to everyone.” 

Kira smiles and steals one more quick kiss before saying, “Okay, I’ll see you soon.” 

She leaves and Scott gets up slowly. He pulls his jeans back on and checks his hair in the mirror. Once he’s satisfied with his appearance he heads on out to the backyard. Kira hadn’t said, but he’s assuming that’s the most logical place for the bonfire to happen. 

He sees quite a large crowd of people as he passes through the door into the backyard and he smiles around at everyone as he looks for Derek and Kira. He finds them sitting close together at the edge of the yard. He’s a little surprised by how much they actually do look like a couple. They’ve got their heads leaned together and they’re grinning at each other while they trade food off of each other’s plates. 

He grins at them for a second and then heads over to join them. “Hey love birds,” he says, sitting down across from them. 

“Hey,” Kira says. “If you want some food it’s over there.” She gestures toward some tables in the middle of the yard, but Scott shakes his head. 

“I’m not that hungry. I’ll just steal from you guys,” he says, grabbing a grape off of Derek’s plate. 

“Hey,” Derek says, but there’s no heat to it, and Scott grins at him before popping it in his mouth.  
“Here,” Derek says then. “You can have my plate anyway. I should probably go spend some time talking to Braeden. I’ll be back in a little while.” 

Derek and Kira both nod, and watch him leave and then Scott scoots over so he’s sitting next to Kira in the spot Derek just left. “So,” he says. “Did you and Derek nap together?” 

“Would you be jealous if I said yes?” Kira asks, a playful smirk forming on her lips. 

“A little,” Scott admits. 

“Well, we didn’t. I mean, we did, but not together together. Derek slept on the floor. I don’t know why. I told him I didn’t mind sharing. I’m not sure that bodes well for our hope that he reciprocates our crush on him.” 

“Hmm,” Scott says, taking a bite of watermelon. “I don’t know. Maybe he does and he was afraid it would be awkward because of it? I don’t think we should give up hope.” 

“That’s because you’re the most positive, optimistic, ray of sunshine in the whole world,” Kira says. 

Scott laughs, and then lets his gaze wander around the yard. He notices some people are roasting marshmallows and he nudges Kira’s side gently with his elbow. “Hey, I want to do that,” he says. “You gonna join me?” 

“Yeah, just give me a second to finish this food,” she says. 

Scott nods, and they spend the next few minutes in comfortable silence, eating the last of their food. And once they’re both done, Kira says, “You ready?” 

“Yep,” Scott says, nodding as he pushes himself up from the ground. They throw away their trash on the way over and then join the small crowd around the fire. 

One of Derek’s sisters greets them as they approach. “Hey,” she says. “I’m Laura, in case you already forgot everyone’s names. I know I would have if I were you.” 

Scott and Kira both laugh, and she says, “Are you wanting to roast some marshmallows?” 

They both nod eagerly and Kira says, “Please.” 

Laura nods and grabs them some poles and marshmallows from the table behind her. “Here you go,” she says. “I should probably go talk to my mom I think she was trying to get my attention earlier, but I hope to talk to you guys more before the weekend is over. I have to make sure my brother’s friends are good enough for him.” 

She winks and then starts to walk away, and Scott says, “Yeah, we’d love to talk to you more as well.” 

She looks back over her shoulder and nods at him, and then Scott starts getting his marshmallow ready to roast. Kira does the same, and before long they’ve both got them held over the fire. 

They stay like that for awhile and Scott's marshmallow is almost roasted when it starts feeling hard to breathe. “Kira?” he asks. She looks over and he passes over his stick as he starts to cough. She looks at him in confusion for a moment, but then her eyes widen in understanding.

“Do you have your inhaler?” she asks. 

He nods and digs around in his pockets till he gets a grip on it, and pulls it out, shaking it as he brings it toward his mouth. His eyes are watering some now, and it’s getting harder to breathe, but he manages to breathe out and then gets his inhaler in his mouth and takes a puff. He holds his breath before breathing out slowly, and by the time he takes a second puff he can feel his lungs relaxing.

“Are you okay?” he hears Derek ask from beside him. He must have came over when he noticed Scott get his inhaler out.

He looks over at him and grins slightly. “Yeah. I just didn’t realize how much the smoke was irritating my lungs I guess. I should probably move farther back.” 

“I’ll come with you,” Derek says. “Kira, you coming too?” 

“After I make us all some s’mores,” she says. 

Scott grins at her and then him and Derek head for a patch of grass a little bit behind where most everyone else is sitting. He grabs a bottle of water out of a cooler as they walk and sips on it slowly. He’s used to asthma attacks by now, but they always manage to wipe him out, and he could definitely use some water after all that coughing. 

“So,” Derek says. “As they flop down beside each other on the grass. “You having fun?” 

“Yeah,” Scott says. “Your family is great and Braeden seems really amazing, and her and Marin seem happy. It’s really nice.” 

His gaze lands on Braeden and Marin across the lawn as he talks. They’re standing off to the side, seemingly in their own little world, Braeden’s head leaned in so she can hear something Marin is telling her, a slight smile on her face. He watches them for a moment and then he turns back toward Derek. “What about you? You doing okay?” 

“Yeah, it’s actually been fun. Especially seeing my family. And it definitely helps having you and Kira here.” 

“Good,” Scott says, leaning slightly so he can elbow Derek playfully in the side as he says. “Kira and I really love you, you know? We’d do anything to keep you happy.” 

Derek’s cheeks go a little red and he looks over at Scott with a slight smile. “Thanks,” he says. “I really love you guys too.” 

There’s something slightly off in his tone, but before Scott can try and figure it out, Kira’s suddenly there, passing them s’mores and then plopping down in front of them. 

“You okay, Scott?” She asks. 

He nods. “Yeah. I’m tired, and feel a little foggy, but I’m fine.” 

Kira nods, and then Derek says. “Okay, so I’ve been thinking about the bedroom situation.” His voice is low so that no one outside their little circle will be able to hear and then he says, “I know that obviously you guys will want to sleep together. So I’m thinking after everything’s quiet, Scott, you can sneak into the room Kira and I are supposed to be sharing and sleep in the bed with her, and I’ll just sleep on the floor.” 

“Not that I mind you sleeping in the same room as us or anything,” Kira says, “But why not just sneak into the room Scott’s supposed to be sleeping in when he comes over to the room that’s suppose to be ours?” 

“I’m afraid it’s too risky,” Derek says. “Scott coming into our room while we’re both in it can be easily explained away as him wanting to talk to us about something, me going into or coming out of Scott’s room alone while he isn’t in it is much harder to explain.” 

“Oh,” Kira says. “Yeah, that makes sense. What do you think, Scott?” 

“Yeah, whatever you guys think,” Scott says. “Although I feel bad about you sleeping on the floor, Derek.” 

“I don’t mind,” Derek says.

Scott shoots Kira a look, wondering if it would be too forward to just tell Derek to sleep in the bed with them, but before he can even contemplate it he notices Braeden and Marin approaching. 

“Hey,” Marin says, once they’re stopped in front of them. “You okay, Scott? Derek said you were having an asthma attack. We wanted to give you a little space before so you could relax and feel better, but we’re a little worried.” 

“I’m fine,” Scott says. “It was just a minor attack, but thank you so much for asking.” 

“Is there anything you need?” Braeden asks. 

“No, thank you, but I’m good. I’ve got some water, and I’ve got my inhaler in case it happens again, but it shouldn’t now that I’m farther away from the fire.” 

“Okay,” Marin says. “Be sure to let us know if that changes, okay?” 

“Or you can just ask Derek,” Braeden adds. “He’s been here enough that I’m sure he knows where everything is.” 

“Thank you guys so much,” Scott says. “And, hey, I haven’t said this yet, but also best wishes on the wedding, and thank you so much for letting me tag along. I know you didn’t have to do that.” 

“Yeah, I wanted to say thank you, as well,” Kira says. 

“It’s no problem,” Braeden says. “I knew if Derek was actually willingly friends with you you must be good people. He’s such a loner.” She nudges him playfully and then says, “Well, I guess Marin and I need to make the rounds now, but I’m sure we’ll talk to you guys again before the weekends over.” 

“Oh and hey, do you guys want to tag along for the wedding rehearsal tomorrow?” Marin asks. “It might be kind of boring, but we definitely wouldn’t mind have an audience for it so you guys can tell us what you think.” 

Derek, Kira and Scott all exchange grins and then Derek says, “Yeah, sure, sounds like fun.”

Braeden and Marin smile and walk away and then Derek says, “I’m exhausted. I think I’m actually going to go on back to bed. I’ll see you both later.” 

Scott says, “I’m actually pretty beat too. Long car rides always exhaust me. I’ll come with you.” 

“Me too,” Kira says, and they all fall into step beside each other. 

***  
 The next day is spent lazing around the cabin, getting to know the families better. After a long brunch, a failed game of charades, and a short hike, it’s time for the rehearsal dinner. Derek and Scott and Kira tag along, finding a seat toward the back of the sanctuary so they’ll be out of the way, but still be able to watch the rehearsal. 

Derek sits in the middle of a pew and Kira settles down beside him, looping her arm through his and leaning her head against his shoulder. Scott sits down next to her, deliberately leaving a little space between them, and then they wait for the rehearsal to start. 

Braeden and Marin are having a discussion with the pastor at the front of the room and Derek turns to smile at Kira when she takes his hand in hers. He catches Scott watching them while he does, and feels a little guilty over the slight jealousy in his eyes. But then Scott’s expression changes and he beams at him and Derek feels a little better. 

After a few more minutes, Braeden and Marin both leave the sanctuary. Then some music starts up and the bridesmaids start coming up the middle aisle, separating as they get to the front and going to their respective sides. 

Once they’re all in place, the song changes to _Here Comes The Bride_ and Derek, Kira and Scott all stand and turn toward the back door of the sanctuary. Braeden and Marin both enter from doors on opposite sides and walk up from the edges of the church before meeting in the middle in front of the pastor. 

After that they practice the ceremony. They don’t go through the whole thing, just enough of it that everyone will know what to expect, and then Braeden and Marin leave together through the center aisle, followed by their bridesmaids. 

Once they’re through the doors, Derek, Kira and Scott all get up to follow them and find them just outside in the hall. “What did you think?” Marin asks, as soon as she sees them. 

“It was really nice," Kira says. “I think it’ll be a beautiful ceremony.” 

“Yeah, I definitely agree,” Scott says, and Derek nods his head in agreement as well. 

“Awesome,” Braeden says. “Well, we’re heading to the rehearsal dinner now. You guys are coming too, right? Everyone’s going to be there.” 

“Yeah, we’re coming,” Derek assures her. 

She nods and then her and Marin walk away, calling “We’ll see you there,” back over their shoulders as they leave. 

***

When they sit down for the rehearsal dinner, Scott’s happy to get seated by Braeden. He feels like he hasn’t had a chance to really talk to her much yet and he's excited to get to know her better. Derek and Kira are right by him on his other side too, and he's happy about that as well. 

As everyone starts eating Braeden says, “So, do you guys want to hear some embarrassing stories about Derek?” 

Derek coughs, choking a little on his food and says, “Don’t you dare. I’ll fight back.” 

“Please,” Braeden says. “You’ve got nothing on me.” 

“It’s not like you’ve got much on me either,” Derek says. 

“Oh yeah?” she asks, one eyebrow raising. “How about the fact we were halfway through our first date before you realized it was supposed to be a date.” 

Scott and Kira both laugh, and Kira says, “Yeah, that sounds like Derek.” 

“I thought you were just being nice,” Derek says. 

“We were at that ridiculously fancy restaurant and you were wearing jeans and a leather jacket. The look that waiter gave you is still the funniest thing I’ve ever seen,” Braeden says. “Hey, what about your first date?” she asks then, looking toward Kira. 

Kira laughs quietly, and then she says, “Well, he almost didn’t realize it was a date either. I asked him if he wanted to go to dinner sometime and it wasn’t until about an hour before we were supposed to leave that he texted me saying, “Is this a date?” 

“Okay,” Derek says. “In my defense, we went out to eat as friends all the time. My only clue it was supposed to be a date was how nervous you got while asking.” 

“That and the fact I asked you to a really romantic restaurant.” 

“Okay, this isn’t fair,” Derek says. “Marin, do you have any embarrassing stories about Braeden?” 

“Sorry,” Marin says, “I can’t betray my bride to be like that,” she says. 

Derek huffs out a sigh and everyone laughs. 

“Alright, alright,” Braeden says. “I guess I’ll let you eat the rest of your meal in peace. I should be paying attention to my beautiful fiancée anyway.” 

Everyone coos at them and Braeden says, “Yeah, yeah, shut up. We know we’re adorable.” 

Then, once the dinner is over, everyone hangs around, milling about the banquet hall and talking with each other. Derek, Kira and Scott are all hanging around by themselves at the edge of the room, talking to people whenever they approach, but not really getting into the thick of things because they all know parties have a tendency to slightly overwhelm Kira. 

Scott’s watching Kira nuzzle her head against Derek’s arm, while holding his hand when he realizes they haven’t kissed at all and wonders if anyone else has noticed and thought it was weird. He knows not everyone likes PDA, but since they’re always cuddling it might seem weird if they don’t share a kiss or two, at least some chaste ones. And to be honest, he’d actually kind of like to see it. He’s a little jealous thinking about, just because he won’t have an excuse to kiss Derek too, but he’d still really like to see them kiss. 

“Hey,” Scott says, his voice low. “I really think you two should kiss sometime soon. The cuddling and the hand holding is absolutely adorable, but I’m not sure it’s one hundred percent selling you guys as a couple. I think you two stealing a few kisses when you could easily pass it off as thinking no one’s paying attention would help.” 

“You wouldn’t mind?” Kira asks. 

“No, I mean obviously only do it if you guys feel comfortable with it, but I don’t mind at all. It’s not like your cheating,” Scott says. “Like I said before about this whole situation, it’s like acting. So I don’t mind whatever you have to do.” Derek’s looking away while he thinks about it so Scott shares a meaningful glance with Kira to try and let her know he’s actually kind of eager about seeing it and she grins at him. 

Derek turns back after a few more seconds and says, “Well, I’m down with it if you are, Kira.” 

“Yeah, absolutely,” she says. “I love kissing.” 

Derek and Kira look at each other then and Scott can tell it’s coming. Derek reaches up and cups Kira’s jaw gently in his hand and bends down as Kira goes up on her tip toes. Their lips meet, slow and a little timid, and Scott can’t take his eyes off them. They look perfect, and Derek looks like an amazing kisser. Scott really hopes he can experience it some day. He can see a hint of tongue get slipped into the kiss, and Kira makes a small noise, one that Scott is intimately familiar with and means she really likes what’s happening. Then she fists her hands in Derek’s shirt and drags him a little closer. 

There’s a wolf whistle from someone on the other side of the room and Kira and Derek finally break away, their cheeks a little flushed as Derek licks his lips. Kira buries her face in Derek’s chest in embarrassment and Scott finally drags his gaze away before anyone else can realize how intently he’d been staring. 

“Okay,” Scott says. “I think people are definitely buying it now.” 

Kira and Derek laugh as Kira pulls away from Derek. Her cheeks are flushed, and she takes his hand again, but they don’t move in for another kiss. Scott is slightly relieved. As much as he really did enjoy watching it, he wants in on the next one, and he really hopes that can happen someday. 

***

The next morning Derek’s awoken by a knock at the door and he sits bolt upright, “Shit,” he mumbles. He looks over at the bed and Kira and Scott are springing into action too. Scott swings himself out of the bed and rushes around the room, spinning in circles while Kira tries to stifle her giggling. 

“Derek?” Laura asks from the other side of the door. 

“Just a second,” Derek says. He picks up his blanket and pillow from the floor and passes them to Scott and then shoves Scott toward the closet. Then he races over to the bed, shooting Kira an apologetic look and then cuddling up next to her under the covers. “Okay, come in.” 

He tries really hard not to focus on all the tiny points of contact between his and Kira’s bodies while he waits for Laura to come in. They’ve cuddled before, but not like this. On a bed. Under the blankets. 

“Hey,” Laura says, as she comes through the door, and sits on the end of the bed. “How are you guys doing this lovely morning.” 

“Well, we were sleeping,” Derek says pointedly. 

Laura just laughs at that, and says, “Hey, I just came to tell you breakfast was ready. Get up, get ready and get your asses downstairs, alright?” 

“Yeah,” Derek says. “And don’t worry about waking up Scott. We can do it.” 

Laura nods, but then Scott must bump into something in the closet, because there’s a muffled knocking noise, and Laura looks that way suspiciously. Then her eyes widen in realization and she says, “Oh my god, Derek Hale you are a lying liar who lies. Why didn’t you just tell us you were dating more than one person? I can’t believe it took me this long to figure out Kira and Scott were the mystery crushes you’ve had for a year now.” 

“Okay, you need to go now,” Derek says, standing up to pull her out of the room in a panic. “Kira and I, the only two people in this room, need to get ready.”

Laura looks at him oddly, but doesn’t resist, and he breathes a sigh of relief when he shuts the door back behind her. 

Scott emerges from the closet then, with a whispered, “Oops,” and Kira breaks out in a fit of giggles. 

Derek starts digging around in his bag for something to wear and says, “I should go take a shower.” 

But Kira shakes her head. “No, wait, come here,” she says, patting the bed beside her. “We need to talk.” 

Derek freezes. He was hoping he got Laura out of the room in time for this conversation to be avoided. He can’t avoid them forever though, so he sighs, and walks back toward the bed. He sits down next to Kira, and Scott settles himself down across from them. 

“What two people do you have a crush on? And why do we, as your two best friends in the whole world, not know about it?” She’s biting her lip, and flushing slightly and Derek doesn’t know why she’s nervous, but he hates seeing her anything but happy so he casts around for a lie he can tell her. 

“You don’t know them,” he says. “And I don’t know. They’re a couple already and I’m just some loser who’s pining after both of them. Nothing’s going to happen so it didn’t seem worth it.” 

“Hey,” Kira says. “You are not a loser. Don’t ever say that about yourself. You are awesome and anyone would be completely lucky to get to date you.” She reaches for his hand and laces their fingers together, and Derek can’t help but smile a little. It’s far from the first time they’ve held hands and Derek always feels a little guilty that she doesn’t know he has actual feelings for her, but mostly just a lot happy that he’s getting to hold her hand. 

“Yeah,” Scott adds. “Maybe you should try telling them how you feel. Maybe they do feel the same way.” 

“Trust me, they don’t,” Derek says. “I really do need to go take a shower though. So I’ll see you guys at breakfast, okay?” 

“Okay,” Scott and Kira both say, and Derek gets up to leave. He can see Scott and Kira exchange a look out of the corner of his eye, but he’s not sure what it’s supposed to mean. Probably just that they feel sorry for him. 

***

When they get to the church for the wedding they still have about an hour till it’s supposed to start so Derek says, “Hey, I’m going to go check in on Braeden. See if she needs anything. You guys going to be okay?” 

“Yeah,” Kira says. “I’m sure we can find someone to hang out with.” 

Derek nods and then texts Braeden to ask where she is. As soon as he gets a response he heads that way and knocks on the door. She opens it a few moments later, looking rather frazzled. 

“You okay?” he asks. 

“Yeah, I just still have to finish my makeup and everything.” 

“Well don’t stress about it,” Derek says. “They can’t start without you.” 

She rolls her eyes and smacks her arm playfully. “Just get in here and help me,” she says. 

“What do you need me to do?” he asks, following her into the room. It looks like it’s usually used as a nursery for younger kids who can’t sit through the sermon but there’s a mirror toward the back of the room that Braeden has all of her makeup spread out in front of. 

“Well, first of all, can you help me zip my dress up the rest of the way?” 

“I can do that,” Derek says. He steps forward and easily zips the last couple of inches closed. “There you go,” he says. “It’s a beautiful dress, by the way. I wouldn’t really peg you for the dress wearing type but it’s gorgeous. You look incredible.” 

“Easy there, I’m taken,” Braeden teases. 

“Yeah, me too, remember,” Derek responds with a laugh. 

“And the dress is because my mom really really wanted me to wear one, by the way. I’d much rather have worn something else, but it meant a lot to her so,” she shrugs and trails off and Derek grins at her. Braeden comes off as a total hardass, but if she cares about someone she’ll do whatever she can to make them happy. It’s one of the things Derek always loved most about her. 

“Your girlfriend’s really cute, by the way” Braeden says, starting on her makeup. “And she seems nice. I’m really glad you found someone and that you’re happy.” 

“She is. She’s honestly one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Her and Scott both really. I honestly have no idea what I did to deserve having either of them in my life.” 

“Oh, come on,” Braeden says, rolling her eyes. “Don’t get all self deprecating on me. You’re great and you know it. You deserve having good people in your life and I’m glad you do.”

Derek shrugs, he’s not sure he agrees, but it’s nice to hear someone else say it. “You and Marin seem really good together too,” Derek says. “She seems really good for you, and just your type. I’m glad your happy too. I know we didn’t really work out as a couple, but I still care about you and I want you to be happy.”

Braeden smiles. “Yeah, I care about you too. I’m glad we’re both happy.”

***

The ceremony itself is short and traditional and Derek gets the feeling Braeden and Marin only really agreed to it because one of their parents wanted them to have a real wedding instead of just going to the courthouse. He doesn’t know much about Marin, but he knows Braeden isn’t really one for attention or big parties. 

He enjoys the ceremony though, and Kira spends the whole time holding Derek’s hand with her head resting gently on his shoulder, so Derek really can’t complain about anything. 

When it’s over the crowd trickles slowly out of the church. “Their vows were really beautiful,” says Kira, quiet. Her arm is looped through Derek’s, and the simple gesture is making him happier than it probably should. “There were definitely some tears in the house. This one,” she says, nudging Scott with her other arm, “included.” She smiles at Scott, and Scott smiles sweetly in response, casting his gaze downward. Derek’s heart beats a little faster at that.   
The reception starts shortly after the ceremony ends in a ballroom near the church. There’s a dinner, and then the DJ calls Braeden and Marin out onto the dance floor for their traditional first dance. 

Derek would have thought Braeden would be nervous to be the center of attention, but as the music starts Braeden and Marin are both smiling at each other and looking like they don’t even realize anyone else is in the room. 

Derek watches them dance with a smile on his face. He really hopes he finds something like that someday. He’d kill for it to be with Kira and Scott, but he’s not holding onto any false hope that they’ll ever like him like that so he tries not to dwell on it too much. 

Halfway through the song the DJ announces, “At this point, Braeden and Marin would like to invite anyone else in love out onto the floor as well.” 

Kira tugs on Derek’s hand then saying, “We should dance.” 

“Okay,” he agrees, thinking about how lucky he is to at least get this much for the weekend. He stands up and Kira drags him out onto the edge of the floor. His hands come down to rest easily on her waist and she wraps her own around his neck. They’re standing close enough that Kira can feel Derek’s breath on the top of her head. She moves even closer as they sway slowly, resting her head against Derek’s chest. 

They move in slow circles, rocking together, and after a while Kira mumbles out,”This is really nice.” 

“Yeah, it is,” Derek says, kissing the top of her head lightly. “But I’m guessing you probably want to dance with Scott during the next song.” 

“Oh, right,” Kira says, and then “Hey, you should dance with Scott first. I think it’ll be more believable that Scott and I are just dancing as friends if you two do it too. That way we’ve all danced at some point.”

Derek’s pleased by the suggestion and says, “Yeah, okay, makes sense. I’ll ask him during the next song.” 

When the song ends, Derek pulls away from her reluctantly and says, "Okay, I guess I'm going to go ask Scott to dance now." 

~

Kira nods as she watches Derek walk away towards Scott. She watches them talk and then grins when Scott smiles ridiculously big before taking Derek’s hand and getting to his feet. She’s watching them move out onto the dance floor when she feels a tap on her shoulder. 

Kira whirls around, a little jumpy from the sudden touch, but smiles again when she sees it's Laura. 

"Hey," Laura says. "Wanna dance while my brother is otherwise occupied?"

"Sure," she says. She's kind of surprised Laura isn't already dancing with someone else. Kira might be head over heels in love with Scott and Derek but that doesn't make her blind to the fact that both of Derek's sisters are incredibly attractive. Not to mention his mom as well. The Hale family gene pool really is ridiculously unfair. 

Laura puts her hands on Kira's waist and Kira lets her own rest over Laura's shoulders. While they spin in slow circles Kira looks around until she finds where Derek and Scott are dancing. They look incredibly adorable together and Kira can't help but smile at them. They're not dancing quite as intimately as Derek and Kira had which is probably for the best since everyone's supposed to think Derek and Kira are dating, but they look like they're having a good time. 

Laura laughs when she notices where Kira's gaze has landed and says, "You really love my brother, don't you?" 

"I do," Kira says, and she does. She loves him just as much as she loves Scott and it's thrilling, but also a little terrifying, because they still don't know whether or not Derek feels the same way. 

"I'm glad," Laura says. "Derek's been through a lot of really bad relationships, him and Braeden were good, but all of the ones before that weren’t so good, and I'm really glad this one seems like it's going to be another good one. I want the best for my little brother." 

"I want the best for him too," Kira says. "I'd never hurt him. You don’t have to worry about me.”

Laura grins at her and says, “I’m glad to hear that.” 

The song ends then, and Kira pulls away. “I’m sure there are a lot of people who would love to dance with you so I won’t keep you any longer,” she says with a laugh. 

Laura laughs too and says, “There has been one girl that’s been eyeing me all night. I guess I will go ask her to dance.” 

Kira smiles at her until she walks away, and then she digs out her phone. She realizes she hasn’t updated Allison since their phone call, and she’s probably wondering how everything is going. She types out a text, “Hey, things went great when I told Scott. You were right, he does feel the same way. We’re still trying to figure out how to talk to Derek about it but this weekend has been good so far.” 

And then it’s only a few moments before she gets a response, “I’m so happy to hear that! I really think everything’s going to work out. Keep me posted.” She grins at her phone as she reads it and then she turns around, looking for Scott. She spots him at the edge of the dance floor and heads over toward him. He smiles at her as he notices her drawing closer and when she reaches him she bows dramatically and says, “May I have this dance?” 

“Absolutely,” he says, grinning widely and taking her hand so she can lead him out onto the dance floor. 

They’re careful not to make it look too intimate as they slowly move around the floor, not wanting to rouse suspicion from anyone about their actual feelings for each other. And after they’ve been dancing for a little while Kira says, “So how was your dance with Derek?” 

Scott smiles and says, “Incredible. He’s such a good dancer and he’s so warm all the time, being in his arms just felt….right.” 

“I know what you mean,” Kira says. 

“Thank you, by the way,” Scott says. 

“What do you mean?”

“Derek told me it was your suggestion for me and him to dance.” 

“Ah,” she says, smiling up at him. “Yeah, I just thought maybe if you got to do something like that with him you’d be a little less jealous of everything I’ve gotten to do with him this weekend.” 

“You’re sweet,” Scott says. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too,” Kira says. She smiles at him, but then lets her gaze drift until she finds Derek. She notices he’s looking kind of sad, and Kira wants to make it better. 

“Hey, I think Derek’s upset,” she says. “We should go see what’s up.” 

Scott nods and they head off the dance floor and back over towards Derek. “Hey,” Scott says, as they sit down by him. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” Derek says. “I’m fine.” 

Kira gives him a stern look at that, and Derek laughs before saying, “Okay, so I’m not fine, but it’s nothing. I guess I’m just a little bummed because everyone’s so in love and I miss that feeling. Well, I miss having it reciprocated anyway.”

“Ah,” Kira says. “You’ll have it again. You’re so great, Derek, honestly. I can’t believe you’re single. Someone is sure to snatch you up soon.” 

Derek smiles weakly, and Scott says, “Do you want to leave? I think we’ve been here long enough for it not to be considered rude if we sneak out. Especially since we have a long drive tomorrow. If anyone asks we can just tell them we need to rest up.” 

“Yeah,” Derek says. “Just let me congratulate Braeden real quick and let her know I’ll see her later.” 

***

When they get back to the cabin it’s still empty, everyone else still at the reception. So, Scott doesn’t even have to be sneaky about going into Kira and Derek’s room. They move around each other easily, taking turns in the bathroom to change clothes and brush their teeth, and then Derek says, “Well, I guess I’m going on to bed.” 

“Yeah, us too, I think,” Scott says, turning back the blankets on the bed, but when he notices Derek getting ready to sleep on the floor again he says, “Hey, Derek, wait, why don’t you just sleep up here? We feel bad with you down there on the floor. It can’t be comfortable.” 

“Are you sure?” Derek asks, looking uncertain. 

“Totally,” Kira says. “It’s no big deal. We’re all friends and there’s plenty of space.” 

Derek still looks a little unsure so Scott adds, “If you’re not comfortable with it, it’s fine, obviously, but we really don’t mind. Promise.” 

Derek finally nods at that and moves toward the bed. Scott crawls in beside Kira and flips on his side so he can wrap an arm around her, pulling her back close against his front. Derek climbs in the bed on Kira’s other side, but so far away from her Scott’s surprised he isn’t falling right back off the bed. 

Kira laughs quietly and says, “You don’t have to be so far away. We’re big fans of cuddling. Obviously you don’t have to come any closer if you don’t want to cuddle, but when we asked you up here cuddling was included in the invitation.” 

Derek snorts out a laugh and scoots closer. He stays on his back but moves close enough that Scott’s hand gets trapped between Kira’s stomach and Derek’s side, and Kira stretches her arm over his stomach. He can feel Kira shifting slightly and he’s pretty sure she’s resting her head on Derek’s shoulder. 

He feels like he can practically feel the tension seeping out of Derek’s body the closer to sleep he gets, and Scott lets his breathing deepen, drifting off to sleep as well. 

***

When Scott wakes up the next morning it takes him a second to remember what happened the night before and why his hand is squeezed between two bodies. But when he does, he lifts his head slightly to look at Derek and Kira. Derek has turned in the night so that he’s facing Kira, her head is resting on his arm and her arm is still slung around his waist. They look incredibly peaceful and happy, and Scott melts at the sight. He really hopes that when Kira and him confess how they feel it goes well because he could definitely get used to waking up like this. 

He lays like that a while longer just enjoying the warm feeling of Kira next to him, and feeling slightly jealous that she gets to be pressed in between two different people. If Kira and Scott ever tell Derek how they feel and they’re lucky enough that he actually feels the same way they might have to work out an agreement for trading off who gets to sleep where. 

It’s only a few more minutes before the alarm goes off though, and then everyone starts moving. Kira rolls off of Derek and closer in against Scott, groaning about how early it is, and as soon as Derek is awake he stands up quickly. 

“I should shower,” he says.   
“Okay,” Scott agrees. “We’ll start packing, I guess.” 

***  
 When Derek leaves the room he doesn’t actually go shower. Instead he sneaks down the hall and into the living room, hoping to find his sisters. They aren’t there, but when he heads into the kitchen he finds them there along with Marin’s parents and brother. 

“Hey,” Derek says. “Do you mind if I steal my sisters away? I need to talk to them.”    
“That’s fine,” Alan says, smiling gently, and Laura and Cora get up, ready to follow Derek back into another room. 

“We’ll talk to you later,” Laura says as she falls into step behind Derek. 

He leads them them into the living room and collapses down on the couch with a groan.

“So, what’s on your mind, little bro,” Laura asks. 

“Yeah, spill,” Cora adds. She’s sitting on the couch with him, turned sideways with her legs crossed in front of her so she can look at him. 

“Okay, so, I’m sure Laura has told you by now that she found Scott in my and Kira’s room and you both have drawn the obvious conclusion from that. But the obvious conclusion is wrong. None of us are dating. Well, I mean, they’re dating each other, but neither of them are dating me.” 

“Ah,” Cora says. “Didn’t want to come to your ex girlfriend’s wedding alone, so you pulled the old fake dating trick?” 

Derek nods. And then Laura says, “But there’s more isn’t there? They are the people you like aren’t they? The ones you’ve been telling me and Cora about for months. Why didn’t you ever just tell us it was Kira and Scott. I’d always kind of wondered why you didn’t mention them much when they’re your best friends, and I guess this is why.” 

“I don’t know,” Derek says. “I guess I felt stupid.” 

“Why?” Laura asks. 

“Because they’re my best friends and I can’t just be happy for them. I have to be an idiot and pine over them instead.” 

“That’s not stupid,” Cora says. “And you know I’d have no problem telling you if it was.” 

“You can’t help who you fall in love with, little bro,” Laura adds. “And I think you should talk to them. I know you’ve already gotten it in your head that they don’t like you back, but I gotta tell you, I think you’re wrong. No one should be able to fake a relationship as well as you and Kira do without having actual feelings. If she doesn't like you back she deserves an Emmy.” 

“And you should see the way Scott looks at you,” Cora adds. “It’s sickening. And it's the same exact way he looks at Kira. I thought _he_ was the one pining over the two of you, and now that I know that it’s him and Kira who are actually in a relationship I’m even more sure that it’s love in his eyes when he looks at you too.” 

“I don’t know,” Derek says. “I think you’re wrong, but I guess eventually I do just have to take a risk on it. I guess I’ll talk to them when we get home later. I don’t want to make the drive awkward if they don’t feel the same way.” 

***

The car ride home drags on. Derek knows he’s acting strangely, can’t help it. Kira and Scott have to notice, but they leave him be, and don’t try to make him talk. That's one of the things he loves about them. They’re great listeners and always make him feel better when he does talk to them, but they never press until they can tell he's ready to talk about it. 

So Derek sits in the backseat, staring out the window and trying to convince himself they're not going to completely abandon him even if they don’t feel the same way. Kira is driving, Scott next to her, and both of them are singing along to the radio. They both have good voices that Derek always enjoys listening to, but in the car they tend to get a little overdramatic about it. They say it’s more entertaining that way, and Derek’s not really complaining because it’s pretty cute. 

When they get to Derek’s apartment building, he takes a deep breath and says, “Hey, can you guys actually come in for a little bit? I need to talk to you about something.” 

They look a little worried as they exchange a glance but then they both nod, and Scott says, “Yeah, of course.” 

Derek grabs his bag out of the trunk and leads the way inside. The walk up to his floor is a little tense, everyone quieter than usual, and it sets Derek on edge. He wants to get this over with though. Now that he’s worked up the nerve. If they turn him down, he honestly doesn’t think they’re the type to never talk to him again. He’ll spend a while getting over them, and then things should go back to normal. It’ll be fine. Or at least that’s what he keeps repeating over and over again in his head. 

When he gets his apartment door unlocked he drops his bags just inside the door and leads the way into the living room. 

“Should we, uh, sit?” Kira asks. 

“Yeah,” Derek says. “You guys sit. I’m going to stand.” He thinks this will be easier if he can pace. He’s too keyed up to sit still and the lack of eye contact he’s sure is going to happen from his end will be much less awkward if he’s moving while he talks.

“Okay,” Scott says. He sits down on the couch and pulls Kira down next to him, wrapping an arm around her waist. She leans into him, and Derek’s heart clenches. He wants that. Bad. 

Derek takes a couple of deep breaths, and shakes his arms out, trying to expel some nervous energy. “Okay,” he says. “I’m just going to come out with it, but please, don’t interrupt or leave or storm out till I’m done. Okay?” 

Kira and Scott exchange another worried glance, but they nod. “Of course,” Kira says. 

“I wasn’t faking,” Derek says. “This whole weekend, I wasn’t faking. I have real feelings for you, Kira. But here’s the thing, I wouldn’t have been faking with Scott either. I have feelings for both of you. And I’m pretty sure you guys don’t feel the same way, but my sister’s thought you did. So, I guess I’m just wondering if they’re right or if I am.” 

Derek hasn’t looked up from the ground since he started speaking, but when Kira says, “They are,” his head snaps up. 

“Really?” he asks. 

She nods, a grin spread wide across her face. 

“Scott?” Derek asks. “You too?” 

“Yeah,” he says. “Kira and I have talked about it before. We’ve been trying to find the right way and time to talk to you about it.” 

Derek smiles, and then Kira says, “So, what happens now?” 

Derek and Scott both laugh gently and Derek says, “Well, I’m thinking we should kiss.” 

Kira laughs, but she stands up. “Sounds good to me,” she says. She takes two quick steps toward Derek and then she just waits for a second, like she’s making sure Derek is really okay with this. So he’s the one to start leaning forward. She meets him halfway though, pressing up on her tiptoes. The kiss is soft, but it lingers. She wraps her arms around Derek’s neck, and Derek wraps his around her waist, tugging her closer. 

When they finally pull apart, Scott is already hovering nearby. He leans in for a quick peck with Kira and then says, “Okay," turning to Derek instead. He grins, ridiculously wide, and then he's leaning in. Their lips meet gently, and Derek’s still got one hand pressed to Kira’s waist but he pulls Scott closer by pressing his other one to the small of his back. 

Scott makes a pleased noise, deep in his throat, and bites at Derek’s bottom lip gently before moving back. “Okay,” he says. “Well, that was good.” 

Derek laughs, and then he says, “I think you two should spend the night and then I can cook you breakfast in the morning.” 

“Counter offer,” Kira says. 

Derek laughs again, but motions for her to continue. “You let us cook you breakfast. If you’re letting us stay over than we should be the ones to cook.” 

“Counter counter offer,” Derek says. And both Kira and Scott laugh at that. “We all cook breakfast together.” 

Kira and Scott pretend to deliberate and then they nod, “Okay, yeah, that works.” 

“But you’ll stay?” Derek asks. 

“Yeah,” Kira says. “We’ll stay.”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on tumblr over [here](http://malieatate.tumblr.com).


End file.
